Like its exterior, the Cherokee?s inner region hasn?t had much updating over the years, and it shows. The instrument panel is a festival of boxy shapes that clearly belong to an earlier era in sport/utility evolution. The long steering column puts the wheel closer to the driver?s sternum than we?d like and the instrumentation looks a little cheap.
The Cherokee?s reclining front seats - high-back buckets in our Sport model - were adequate, but not on a par with newer compact sport/utes, particularly in terms of lateral support.
This is a smaller vehicle than the compacts from Ford and General Motors and it?s not as roomy. Front-seat legroom is fine, but it?s a little cramped in the rear and the rear door openings are a bit narrow.
The Cherokee?s rear seat dimensions aren?t the most confined in the segment - the Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota 4Runner, for example, are both tighter.
Our Cherokee Sport stacked up pretty well in terms of interior storage, with several bins and cubbies up front and map pockets molded into the door panels. The obligatory cupholders were mounted just to the right shifter, although this location makes a bit of a stretch for the driver.
There?s a fair-sized cargo compartment behind the rear seats, and like all compact sport/utilities the Cherokee?s rear seat folds flat to expand this volume considerably. No split-folding rear seatback option is offered, however.
The one new element in the Cherokee?s interior for 1995, a driver?s airbag, is a welcome one. Jeep enhanced the Cherokee?s crash-protection credential last year by adding side-impact door beams and the whole upper body structure has been reinforced for better performance in rollovers.
There?s no anti-lock brake (ABS) feature on the basic Cherokee SE, but 4-wheel ABS is available as a option on 6-cylinder models.
Although the Cherokee may lack the refinement of some of the new sport/utes, it can definitely hold its own in traffic. The line from Dave Dudley?s classic truckin? song applies here: "Well, my rig?s a little old, but that don?t mean she?s slow."
The combination of low weight and plentiful power gave our Cherokee exceptionally peppy acceleration. In fact, it?s livelier than just about any vehicle in its class with the exception of the V8-powered Grand Cherokee.
Handling is also lively, at least by sport/utility standards. The Cherokee changes direction with agility, exhibiting less body roll than most in the process.
Ride quality is another story, however, Our Cherokee Sport was a trifle harsh in this respect, with a stiff response to sharp bumps, potholes and broken pavement. Newer sport/utilities are substantially smoother in the ride department.